Research Cycle - Tasks & Skills

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This page outlines the steps of the research process. Each step requires certain tasks and specific skills, which are identified. When technology tools, lesson plans, or assignments are available on this wiki, they are linked to the targeted skills.



Research Step: Get Started

Students will be able to define problems competently
  • Task: Make sure you understand your research assignment
  • Task: Brainstorm possible topics
    • Technology Tools
  • Task: Pre-search
    • Skill: Skim/read all sources to provide background information and generate subsidiary questions.
  • Task: Choose a topic
  • Task: Test your topic
    • Skill: Assess whether topic matches assignment
    • Skill: Broaden or narrow your topic
    • Skill: Assess if there is enough information on your topic or too much information
  • Task: Start a list of keywords
  • Task: Keep track of sources
    • Skill: Create a bibliography
    • Skill: Take notes
    • Skill: Use NoodleTools or comparable system to organize sources and research notes
    • Skill: Use Noodletools to Take Notes
    • Skill: Use Noodletools to Cite Sources
  • Task: Develop a researchable question

Research Step: Plan Your Research

  • Task: Determine what you need to find out
    • Skill: brainstorm a list of questions about your topic to keep you on track (who, what, when, where, why)
    • Skill: identify elements of a good essential question (MOVE??)
    • Skill: brainstorm a list of what you need to research
    • fSkill: ind out if your topic is controversial and identify important components of the discussion.
    • Skill: Identify categories and terminology of your topic. This will help expand your keyword list.
  • Task: Identify types of sources to use
    • Skill: Identify available sources, different type of sources (books, photos, interviews, newspapers, statistics, etc.) and what would be best for your topic
    • Skill: get a public library card
  • Task: Identify other sources of relevant information
    • Skill: Identify experts on your topic
    • Skill: Know where different types of information exists (physically and virtually)
    • Skill: Locate different types of information physically and electronically
    • Skill: Navigate library to find information
    • Skill: Use library catalog to locate sources
    • Skill: Ask librarian for help in selecting sources and locating them
  • Task: Manage calendar and time to plan research
    • Skill: create a calendar for different tasks so not doing assignment at last minute
  • Task: Create initial outline
    • Skill: Break down topic into outline
  • "Big Ideas"/Topic

Gather Information

  • Locate sources
    • learn search skills (advanced search features, how to use keywords, '' '', and/or, etc.)
    • Review Google Tips and Tricks
    • learn how to read a bibliographic citation and understand it
    • learn how to identify what type of source it is
    • Learn about Online Databases
  • extract info from sources
    • learn how to highlight
    • learn to note-taking
    • learn to find ideas
    • learn how to read in content area
    • learn how to identify the main point and relate it to your topic
    • meaning from context -- make connections to topic and idea you already know
  • evaluate Sources
    • learn to evaluate free web pages and books, periodicals, newspapers, etc.
    • distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources
    • determine if the information can be used
    • learn to differentiate between the different type of sources, example: scholarly article vs popular magazine
    • Learn how to evaluate a primary source
  • keywords - continue list of keywords
  • keep track of sources - continue with bibliography

Refine & Continue Research

  • reminder of goal of project
  • idea of a thesis
    • learn what a thesis is
    • learn how to formulate a thesis statement
  • reflect/review requirements
    • learn inductive vs deductive reasoning
  • evaluate sources - continue this process
    • evaluate type of sources used. am i relying too heavily on one type of source
    • refine list of sources
  • Revisit Research Questions - is the information collected answering research question
    • learn that original research question often needs revising after evaluating information collected.
    • learn what makes a good research question
  • organize/outline information
    • learn how to create an outline and fit information into it

Interpret Info

  • thesis development
    • refine thesis statement
  • peer conferencing
    • learn skills of peer conferencing - protocols
  • organize info
  • types of sources
    • learn how to use/interpret each type of source example: reference sources
    • learn how to avoid being immobilized by piles of sources with no insight